Winter is typically a time to slow down a bit and regroup, but for local farmers like Tyler Bradley of Maple City, it’s also a time for planning for next year’s crops and finding work to keep busy.
Bradley and his wife, Paige, started their “pay what you can” farmstand in 2022, aiming to get fresh produce into the hands of their neighbors in Leelanau County. He said since they started the stand and growing their own vegetables and perennials on their two-acre property, the concept has worked out great and has helped him build strong connections in the community. With the farmstand, Bradley has met dozens of people that have gotten to know him and his farm and where their food comes from.
“And I didn’t want someone to not be able to afford the food because it’s going to spoil,” Bradley said. “Once I got to know the community more and saw that there’s a lot of trust up here, there was no need to kind of police the stand, it really ran itself. People were more than willing to pay full price, if not more, to help those that maybe want to take everything they see… In my mind, it’s kind of breaking capitalism in its own way because it’s a sliding scale where people get to decide how much they think it’s worth.”
